What on earth did I just read? No seriously. Wtf. I went a bit up and down with this book, but over all I'd say it was a miss.

I found the structure really hard to get into because the chapters are really bitty, with some of the characters intentionally really incoherent because they're on drugs (Flora and William in particular). It's a choice I didn't like as opposed to lack of talent I suppose, do with that what you will.

Mostly I didn't get the point of this book (maybe it's just gone over my head idk), but the plot arc I found pretty boring and unfulfilling. There were some interesting characters and points, just overall I think that they could've been better articulated, or even gone more in depth with them. I didn't find any of the characters particularly inspiring except for maybe John (William's lover), which I did find a nice way to begin discussing asexuality, especially from within the gay community (would've like to see more than just like a couple paragraphs on this though, could also be described as having been written is as an afterthought). Most of the plot could probably be described as an afterthought tbh, because barely any of it is consequential, even to the sub-plots. I also couldn't get over the idea that these people are making a bit of a leap to connect their circumstance to the building, particularly in the earlier chapters. Like yeah *we* know that, but why does Levi think it's No. 10, and not the High street, or the city, or the country, or his flat in particular instead of the whole building.

The format of this novel is really cool (one person per decade who gets 3 chapters and they all live in the same apartment building) but it's also disappointing because you don't get a lot of time with each character. Some I found less interesting and some could have gotten their own book. But I liked the variety in characters and the topics that were adressed. Sometimes the messaging felt a little too heavy-handed though. There is kind of an overarching story, which is a bit at odds with the smaller stories (they are mostly about the historical period but now and then the devil's daughter shows up), but if you accept that and are not looking for a story that is purely grounded in reality but has magical realism (?), it is very fun. Also very atmospheric descriptions of Edinburgh that made me want to visit again.

Dating, yes. Transgressive, yes. But also surprisingly tedious after a while. The clunky injections of historical research and period set-dressing make it infuriatingly choppy. The William Burroughs chapters are the worst - they read like someone showing off.